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Well after my craigslist golf cart search that ended in it not being real I decided to search out a local, reputable golf cart dealer.  Found 3 within 45 minutes of our house and went to check out the carts in person.  After seeing the possibilites (basically the sky is the limit) we set our budget.  The best deal I found was the last dealer I went to. They had a 2011 Yamaha - electric, custom paint (blueish/green color), 10 inch upgraded wheels, 2013 Trojan batteries, new windshield, new 5 panel rear view mirror, and folding backseat.  The seats were standard golf cart seats, but were in very good condition.  Also the dash area and trim were very good as well.  Talked to the wife and she agreed to go for it.  The deal is done and we can pick it up tommorow if I want to.  We are so excited to have one and are looking at another Fort Wilderness trip! 

 

Now I need the groups help with a few questions since we have never owned a golf cart before.

 

1.  We are going to put this in the back of our F-250 so any recommendations on folding ramps to load the cart?

 

2.  Do you insure your cart?  If so for liability, collision???

 

3.  If possible what is the best way to prevent theft since all golf carts can be rolled onto a small trailer and most have the same key?  At home we will keep in our garage.

 

Any other advice for a newbie???

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Congrats!

 

Yes, we insure our cart for liability.  One of the campgrounds we frequent requires it.

 

We have folding ramps to load our cart.  They are aluminum. I found them on the internet, but I forget where.

 

I could give you tips on how to prevent theft on a Club Car, but I don't know anything about Yamahas.

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Congrats!

 

Yes, we insure our cart for liability.  One of the campgrounds we frequent requires it.

 

We have folding ramps to load our cart.  They are aluminum. I found them on the internet, but I forget where.

 

I could give you tips on how to prevent theft on a Club Car, but I don't know anything about Yamahas.

 

 

We carry insurance on our golf cart and it isn't very expensive. Some campgrounds require insurance. We bought our ramps at Tractor Supply.

 

Thanks for the info.  Do you get this insurance from your auto policy company or some other company?  Also I will look at the ramps at tractor supply.  For an electric cart is 1500# ramp enough?

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As far as preventing theft...we went to Lowe's and bought a cable with finished loops on both ends. If we leave it any where (like the bus stop out front) I loop it through the left front tire, and loop the other end through the steering wheel. Lock it on with a combination lock. Entire process takes about 15 seconds. Is it foolproof? Nope. But it will keep someone from simply using their own key and driving away. There are commercially sold locks and security systems, but they're pricey. We have about 20 bucks in our setup.

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Thanks for the info.  Do you get this insurance from your auto policy company or some other company?  Also I will look at the ramps at tractor supply.  For an electric cart is 1500# ramp enough?

 

We insure ours through our auto policy company.

 

As for ramps -- the length can be critical.  Remember that golf carts (if not lifted) don't have a lot of ground clearance.  We had to order 12 foot ramps to load ours.

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Well I got the cart home today and must say that it was nothing less than terrifying to load and unload this in/from the back of my truck.

 

At the dealer I was just into the bed of the truck and the ramps got kicked out and slamed on the ground.  I did not like that one bit.  I will make sure to secure my ramps!!!!  Once I got home I tried a pair of 7.5' arched ramps and that was even more scary.  The angle was far too steep and the cart did not clear the back foot plate.  Luckily I was parked on the edge of the grass and unloading into the grass.  As a result we were able to lift the back of the cart slighlty and slowly allow the cart to come down the rest of the ramp.  I immediately returned those ramps and have now ordered some 10' ramps off of Amazon.  They are also wider.  Hope the 10' length will do the trick. 

 

Thanks for all the advice on insurance.  I called my carrier USAA and put the cart on my policy.  It only cost a little over $100, but has all the same coverage as my auto.  It was the only way to do it and I am sure I could have probably found some cheaper, but I trust them.  

 

Thanks for the advice also on the cable with lock.  That was a thought of mine as well.  Will get some and will start locking it up to keep the honest people honest.  Ha Ha. 

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Yes, but that was so he could hook up to the cart in front of him to keep up.

how did I know to watch this thread???? hmmm???

 

Grumpy is correct, I drove my cart up and down the ramps ONCE and that was enough for me. I mounted the winch on the front of the cart to save room in the bed of the truck, I mounted a bar in the front of the bed to hook on and wa la it drives itself up the ramps.

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how did I know to watch this thread???? hmmm???

Grumpy is correct, I drove my cart up and down the ramps ONCE and that was enough for me. I mounted the winch on the front of the cart to save room in the bed of the truck, I mounted a bar in the front of the bed to hook on and wa la it drives itself up the ramps.

You mounted a winch to pull it in the truck? I thought that was to get in from point a to point b.

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On the Peterbilt I use two sets of ramps bought from tractor supply. They are 8 foot long and arched. I set the first ramps on the side of the flat bed and set the second set of ramps 1/3rd of the way from the top of the first set. I tie both sets of ramps to the truck so they can't kick out. The only issues I have had is loading in the rain and the crowd it draws watching me unload. For the rain I found I just need to lay a couple of towels on the ramps and it goes right up without spinning a tire. As for the crowd I just smile.

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We load a Smart on the back of our Kenworth and use ramps that are about 8'long, it was only scary the 1st time I drove it up now I am used to it. A lot of the guys who do what we do bought their ramps from Discount ramps on the web, many to choose from and some that fold for easier handling, good luck in whatever you end up.

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Congratulations on the cart purchase.

Saw this article the other day about the dangers of over charging the cart in a garage.

Couple had an attached garage where they charged their cart and the a/c unit was in there.

Their carbon monoxide alarm went off. Fire department came and checked to see where the problem was.

Charger wasn't turning off causing the batteries to overcharge and create hydrogen sulfide gas which got sucked into the homes a/c unit.

They replaced the charger, and now only charge with a door open.

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